Possible to have 2 OS ?

[Efimov]

Hi,
I'm brand new and a very average user... I don't know anything about systems. So my question is simple : I'm running with Windows 2000 Pro, can I install XP beside it ? Can I have the choice to use one or another ?
thanks to your attention...

By the way, I like the layout of this site : brilliant !
Efimov

 

[muckshifter]

Yes you can have 2000 & XP ... just pop the XP CD in the drive and follow the instructions on the screen to set-up a "dual boot" system.

However, XP is not too different from 2000 and unless you need the extra "bells-n-whistles" of XP I would not bother.

XP is only NT 5.1 with "eye candy".

On the other hand XP does have some advantages over 2000
1. It's new & therefore supports more hardware
2. Is more stable than any previous operating system
3. Plays games that 2000 cannot.

... and is a joy to "fix" if anything does go wrong.
But do let XP "test" your system for "compatibility" issues. If that works out ok then I would advise a "clean install" of XP

You can do a clean install of XP even with the "XP upgrade".

If you need anymore information ... just ask.

Mucks. :crazy:

 

[pc_god]

Hi Efimov,

Yes you can, the easyest way is to partition your hard drive into 2 drives ('Primary' C: and 'Extended' D. Have your Win 2000 pro on one drive and XP on the other.

You'll need to start 'a fresh', getting rid of whatever is on your hard drive first, and use a program called 'fdisk' in DOS, to partition the drive into two.

Simply create a boot disk and stick the file 'fdisk.exe' on there (you can find it by doing a 'search - files and folders' on your computer. ) Then, boot off the floppy and type 'fdisk' at the DOS prompt. Use it to delete all partitions on your drive (This will delete all saved data on your computer, so there's no going back!!!). Then restart your pc and boot off the floppy, type 'fdisk' again and create a partition half the size of your hard drive (or type 50%).

This will be your Primary partition (C, then create your Extended partition (D, which will take up the rest of the space on your hard drive. Make sure you set the Primary partition as 'Active' then reboot with your Win2000 Pro cd and install to C:. Once installed and setup, boot off your WinXP cd and install to the D:

This is fairly simple to do, although if you want a very easy way and spend a bit of money you could buy 'partition magic' from the shops (or download it). This can be run from Windows so you wont lose your previous installation.

I've done this to my pc, running win 2000 pro on C: and Linux 8.2 on D:.

To get the computer to ask you which one you want to boot from, as soon as you turn the pc on, right click on 'my computer' in Win2000 Pro, go to the last tab (opps, forgot the name) one of the a buttons there is labled 'Windows startup', click on that and you can add your D: (WinXP) to the list...Simple!

Please write back if you need any more help!

 

[floppybootstomp]

I feel I have to reply to the last post and point out that there is actually no need to wipe your HDD if you wish to install a secondary OS alongside Win2K.

As Mucks has pointed out, installing XP alongside 2K does not entail having to erase 2K, all necessary instructions for a dual boot system will present themselves during install.

When setup is complete, on Boot the user will be presented with a Microsoft Menu that gives the choice between XP and 2K.

If all OS's are Microsoft then, IMO, Partition/Boot Magic 7.0 doesn't really offer any advantages. However, if you wish to install Linux or similar then PM7 is a Godsend.

The last multi-boot system I installed started with just WIN98 and using PM7 I ended up with a triple boot system - WIN98; WIN2K and Mandrake 8.2. The original WIN98 was unchanged and stayed as it was.

 

[pc_god]

lol, I guess i like doing things the hard way then...I didn't acturally see the first reply, but that's cool you can do it off the WinXP cd - I never knew you could :crazy:

Just ignor me Efimov